A typical roster on a typical summer collegiate baseball league, pick any league in any state, has players from other states playing away from home all summer long. Players travel from Santa Cruz, California to play in Wakefield, RI. Players from Cumberland, RI play in Coral Gables, FL. Players from Maine and Missouri and Michigan play in Newport, RI. And where do these out of state players live during the summer months so they can play summer collegiate baseball? With a host family, a local family who provides a home, a bed, and a family experience that creates lifelong friendships and memories.
I have been lucky enough to write about the Ocean State Waves and the Newport Gulls over the past few years. One of the promos I love to share every year is the call to the community for host families for the players. The host family coordinators work year round to provide information for potential host families, secure housing for players, and help establish a positive experience once a family has committed for the summer baseball season. There are a ton of great social events as well as game tickets and team outings that come with the host family package. And then there are the connections the family makes to the player or players who stay with them.
I reached out to both the Waves and the Gulls recently to ask them to pen, in their words, what the host family experience meant to them. And say one more good-bye to the player or players they hosted this summer. I am looking forward to sharing these personal letters with you as soon as I receive them. Here is the first one I received over the weekend and it is a GOOD ONE!!!
Dear Big Max and Parker,
We miss you already! Thanks for staying at our house this summer. We had the most fun watching you play and cheering for you at the Waves games! Thanks for playing catch in the yard and teaching us to play Capture the Flag. We loved going on the boat with you and had so much fun at the Red Sox game. It was really cool to be called your host brother and sister. Good luck at college and hope we see you again next year!!
Love your host kids,
Little Max and Allie
There’s no crying in baseball right? So why are you tearing up???? I’m not crying, you are crying! Seriously, thank you Little Max and Allie for your wonderful letter and thank you to Max Johnson and Parker Bard for being so gracious with your time with your host family. Beautiful photos and story, I am speechless.
So, if you have a story about your summer collegiate baseball league family that you would like to share with others, to tell the story of how AWESOME it is to be a host family, get in contact with your league’s host family coordinator. Or you can email me at ribaseballexperience@gmail.com with your photos and story. And if you are interested in becoming a host family for 2023, here are the local league links for the Ocean State Waves and the Newport Gulls:
The Baseball Storyteller 